Details revealed in weekend Orange Park family shooting

A Clay County man remained hospitalized in serious condition Monday after authorities charged his brother-in-law with shooting him in the stomach in a domestic dispute that involved other family members and included a threatened dog attack, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Maher Harb, 49, of Orange Park was shot in his home in the 2500 block of Huntington Way about 9:30 p.m. Saturday. The Sheriff’s Office has charged his brother-in-law, Riad Akel, 42, with aggravated assault and armed burglary in the case.

An arrest report said Akel, his wife, three children and mother-in-law attended a party in Jacksonville before the shooting. Afterward the group came back to Huntington Way and the mother-in-law asked her daughter to walk up to the home in an effort to help resolve some type of family dispute.

The daughter, Majeda Akel, and her sister-in-law, Stacey Harb, got into a shouting match during which Harb told her dog to attack Akel, the arrest report said. Akel ran back to her vehicle and told her husband, who grabbed a 9mm pistol from his glove box and walked to the front door.

Riad Akel entered the home, began yelling and was told to leave, according to the report. He was then pushed outside and his wife and Stacey Harb began fighting in the driveway, an altercation Riad Akel tried to break-up.

Maher Harb left the home and told Riad Akel to leave. Harb was then shot in the stomach. The Akels got into their car and drove to their nearby home, the Sheriff’s Office said. Harb was taken to UF Health Jacksonville, while deputies arrested Akel without incident.